Press review: Washington ready to tackle ‘irritants’ and Russia makes hay on battlefield
Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, August 13th
MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/. The US is ready to hold a meeting with Moscow on mutual diplomatic "irritants," a new Russian breakthrough in Donbass threatens to shatter Ukraine's remaining defenses, and the reasoning behind Trump's decision to postpone imposing higher tariffs on China. These stories topped Wednesday's headlines across Russia.
Izvestia: Trump-Putin summit could shepherd further dialogue on removing bilateral 'irritants'
Washington is ready to hold a new meeting with Moscow on removing "irritants" in bilateral relations, the US Embassy in Russia told Izvestia. Earlier, the sides held two rounds of consultations on this matter in Istanbul, but the Americans put any further dialogue on hold. Now, with the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump set to be held in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, new hope for ties between the two nations has sprung up, the Russian Federation Council noted. The summit will no doubt center around the Ukraine conflict, but the sides are also expected to discuss interaction in other spheres, such as economic cooperation in the Arctic, the expert community believes.
Friday’s summit between the US and Russian presidents may give an impetus to talks on removing the "irritants" in bilateral relations, believes Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics Dmitry Suslov.
-
"If the Alaska summit is successful, it will be much easier to hold further meetings on settling the issues around the diplomatic ‘irritants’ on each other’s territory," he told Izvestia.
The upcoming summit signals that the sides aren’t giving up on relations, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s Committee on International Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov noted. According to him, Russia and the US stand a good chance of moving forward on the issue of mutual "irritants."
"It’s a good thing that the presidents of the two great powers are meeting in person — this means that they are both positively inclined," he told the newspaper. "It’s hard to say what they will agree on, as that will become clear once the talks are over, but nevertheless, it is appropriate that we are holding this conversation. Because it is impossible for the two countries that determine the entire world order not to interact face to face, without the influence of various forces opposing the normalization of ties between Russia and the US. So let’s hope that all the issues that are going to be discussed will either be resolved or else used in order to hold further talks," he explained.
In addition to the Ukrainian settlement, Russia and the US also have other interests, for instance, in the joint exploration of the Arctic, American political scientist Peter Kuznick pointed out. According to him, they may also include the construction of a high-speed railway tunnel under the Bering Strait.
Media: Russian forces make huge gains in Pokrovsk, Ukraine's hold on Donbass shaky
Russian forces have breached Ukrainian defenses in the Pokrovsk area to the point that several large groups of Ukrainian troops immediately found themselves under the threat of encirclement. Russian units are now advancing rapidly, according to Izvestia's military sources. Experts believe that if Russian success in this key sector of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) continues in this way, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk will soon be in Moscow’s crosshairs. And while the official reports of the Defense Ministry dryly state that the Russian Armed Forces have "improved the situation on the frontline," Western media are raising alarms about the difficult situation facing the Ukrainian army, with Vladimir Zelensky and all of Ukraine watching closely as they prepare for the worst.
"Yes, there is progress in the Pokrovsk area," military expert Alexey Leonkov told Izvestia. "The enemy built very serious fortifications there, of course, but our units were able to get through and deliver a strike. And if the situation continues to develop positively for us, then we can come in from the rear of the Pokrovsk and Slavyansk-Kramatorsk groups. Because all their fortifications were built in a single, layered line, starting from Slavyansk and ending in Pokrovsk. So our units managed to break through their defenses in one spot," he explained.
Russian advance in DPR ‘significant,’ triggers ‘confusion’ — Financial Times
The Russian army's momentum in the Pokrovsk area could carry it to a major victory, military expert Viktor Litovkin told Izvestia.
"This is one of the most important hubs on the Donetsk front," he explained. "So the capture of Pokrovsk can practically bring down the front in that direction. This will open the door to Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, and the complete liberation of the Donetsk People's Republic from Ukrainian militants," he added.
Kommersant’s sources described the situation as "rather chaotic," as Russian units are entrenching themselves and accumulating forces. The Ukrainian Dnepr command responsible for this sector has stated that the incursion of small Russian sabotage groups behind the first line of defense does not mean that the entire territory is lost. That said, the military officials recognized the complexity of the situation and that combat there is "currently among the most intensive on the frontline."
Leonkov pointed out that the Ukrainian command chose not to send more manpower to help those militants that had been surrounded.
"This indicates that they are having major problems with reserves. The Ukrainian command does not want to use its reserves up too quickly, nor is it able to quickly redeploy them," he explained.
According to Litovkin, "they want Zelensky to see the hard truth about the situation on the frontline — that it’s time to take some measures, to involve more allies — the Americans, the Europeans. Perhaps redeploy reserves from some other fronts to this critical one. Alarm and panic are spreading among the Ukrainian militants. Their morale is low," the expert concluded.
Media: Why US decided to postpone tariff hike on Chinese goods
The United States knows how much it depends on Chinese products, and realizes that levying large tariffs on China will be economically unwise, experts believe. On August 12, Washington re-suspended increased import tariffs against Beijing for 90 days, while China also put its high fee for the United States on hold. Analysts say that Donald Trump will probably postpone the duties once again in November, a move that would also benefit Russia. Otherwise, there is a high probability of prices going up worldwide and increased instability. For Russia, that would mean reduced demand for Russian goods and a weaker ruble.
Head of the Sector of Economy and Politics of China at the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations Sergey Lukonin told Vedomosti that the US’ wish to impose concessions on specific goods is just the tip of the iceberg: even if Trump gets rid of the trade deficit, that won’t resolve the underlying tensions with Beijing. The expert believes that the conflict runs much deeper, rooted in overall US displeasure with the structure of China’s economy, particularly its industrial overcapacity, its monetary policy, the management of the yuan exchange rate and its limited convertibility, as well as subsidies to businesses.
The United States understands that its economy is strongly linked to China's and that it cannot get its way by imposing some hardline restrictions on China, as it has done with other countries, Olga Belenkaya, Head of Macroeconomic Analysis at Finam Financial Group told Izvestia. She added that neither the US, nor China, having tried the option of harsh escalation, would want to return to it.
In addition, Washington has extended the pause on increased tariffs on Chinese goods to avoid additional inflationary pressures and disruptions in supply chains in the midst of preparations for the Christmas season, said Sergey Potapov, senior analyst at BCS World Investments. This move will keep the door open for ongoing negotiations with Beijing on trade, agriculture and technological restrictions.
Improving the relations between China and the US will have a dual impact on Russia. On the one hand, if China establishes ties with the United States, this may lead to a reduction in purchases of Russian products, in particular oil, in which case the Russian budget risks not receiving enough funds. This will trigger volatility in prices on raw materials, as well as reduce demand for Russian energy resources, Potapov added in a conversation with Izvestia.
Trump is now threatening countries that buy Russian oil, including China, with secondary tariffs which could strain relations between the US and China and indirectly hit Russia, isolating its economy, Vladimir Chernov of Freedom Finance Global told Izvestia. According to him, if the postponement of the imposition of tariffs ends with an escalation of the trade conflict, then demand for Russian goods will decrease again due to general instability worldwide, with the ruble taking a hit as well.
On the other hand, if China avoids high tariffs in the future, its economy can grow. This will increase China's demand for goods from Russia, as well as let Russia buy cheaper products.
Izvestia: Iraq looks to attract Russian money to mega oil project
Iraq is interested in attracting Russian investments to the development of the Nasiriyah oil project, which holds estimated reserves of more than four billion barrels. This will significantly strengthen economic relations between the two countries and bring large-scale benefits to the Iraqi economy, Iraqi prime minister's Advisor for Financial Affairs, Mudhar Mohammed Salih told Izvestia. The volume of investments into the project, which includes the development of the oil field and the construction of an oil refinery plant, may reach $50 billion. According to Salih, the republic’s policy course on bringing Russian investments to the oil sector indicates the aspiration to boost economic cooperation with Russia.
This February, active discussions began between the Iraqi Ministry of Oil and Russia’s Ministry of Energy on the potential participation of Russian companies in the investment and development of the Nasiriyah oil field, Iraqi expert in the oil and gas sector Govand Sherwani told Izvestia. The development of Nasiriyah is considered a priority track, with the Ministry of Oil striving to increase production there to approximately 60,000 barrels per day or more, the specialist noted.
According to preliminary estimates, field reserves surpass four billion barrels but this figure may be adjusted once contracts with serious companies, including Russian ones, are concluded, and additional surveying is carried out, the expert noted. It is quite possible that the actual reserves will be higher than current estimates.
"Iraq’s Ministry of Oil hopes to enter into partnerships with Russian companies in order to use their expertise in developing oil fields, particularly given the ministry’s aspiration to increase production over the past two years. It is planned that by 2027, the production will reach about seven million barrels per day," Sherwani said.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Baku, Yerevan find a friend in Washington
Armenia and Azerbaijan are being congratulated on initialing a long-awaited peace agreement, while US President Donald Trump has said that the leaders of two Caucasus republics, Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev, had become his good friends. That said, the conflict between the two countries is far from over.
Still, experts from Armenia and Azerbaijan polled by Nezavisimaya Gazeta see the initialed agreement as a big win for everyone involved. For instance, Farhad Mammadov, director of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Azerbaijan, noted that Baku’s proposals made in the spring of 2022 served as the foundation for the agreement. "The document reflected all the main expectations of the Azerbaijani side. There were differences on two provisions: the Armenian side did not want to recall its lawsuits from international institutions nor withdraw third countries’ forces from the border. But in the spring of 2025, Yerevan accepted Baku’s version, after which the entire document was approved," the expert explained.
IN BRIEF: What is known about peace agreement between Azerbaijan, Armenia
According to him, Baku and Yerevan will adhere to the published provisions of the peace agreement even before it is concluded. This will let them implement the peace agenda immediately.
In the opinion of Johnny Melikyan, an expert with the Orbeli Center, this document continues the trilateral agreement between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed in November 2020.
"Of course, this is not the best option for Yerevan but it originated as a result of the second war for Karabakh. Armenia found itself in a situation where no one could help it. However, we have new geopolitical realities unfolding. In order for them to be more suitable for Armenia, it needed serious strategic partners providing it with strong diplomatic and other support," Melikyan believes.
